Coaching through a Crisis

​When faced with a crisis it is a natural response for individuals and organisations to become defensive and inward looking, even while they are trying to appear open and transparent.  This tension can quickly become obvious to any outsider even if the reason for it is not always understood.   Not only will it create suspicion, but the toll on senior staff trying to maintain these two contradictory positions will soon begin to show. 
 
Recent scandals that have spread across the charity sector provided evidence, once more, of the challenge for board level staff to maintain a credible and consistent position throughout a long period of intense scrutiny.  Should they stumble even for a moment there is often a high price to pay.
 
In responding to this kind of crisis it is important to step towards the challenge.  This is a way of making sure that all of the issues are fully appreciated and understood by all of the key players within the organisation.  Reaching out towards those that are challenging us may seem counter intuitive.  However it demonstrates a willingness to engage fully with the problem.   Only by understanding the issues from the outsiders’ perspective, as well as your own, can you truly appreciate what needs to be done to overcome them.  Such a step requires a mix of courage and humility which needs to be authentic or it will be difficult to maintain.
 
Consistency of approach is also vital.  You are working hard to create confidence that all of the issues are understood, that their gravity is fully appreciated and therefore that they will be addressed appropriately.   However any wavering from the original message, however small, risks undermining everything that you may have achieved.  This does not just risk taking you back to square one, but could create the sort of backlash that requires even greater efforts to overcome and in some cases can only be resolved by senior resignations.
 
A Crisis Coach can help you to identify and then quantify the issues from the perspectives of everyone involved.  They are in a position to highlight the blind spots in your organisational thinking.  They can then work with you to develop a considered and practical response that addresses everyone’s concerns and support you through the process of communicating this both internally and externally. 
 
Having an independent Coach on the team puts you in a unique position.  They can help you explore the situation from every angle, safe in the knowledge that all discussions will be completely confidential.  They can recognise the impact of the cultural and other values of your organisation while not being subject to them.  They can connect more easily with the views and priorities of those outside of the organisation and can provide appropriate challenge in a safe place so that your responses address all of the concerns that have been, or may be, raised.  Finally they can be there to support you should there be any wobbles or moments of tired exasperation when it may be tempting to hit back.
 
Bringing in an outsider might not be your first thought when faced with a crisis, but perhaps it should be your second.
 
© 2018 Michael Golding